Since the advent of the personal computer, the user environment on the personal computer has continually become more “friendly,” i.e. easier for the average person to learn, easier to understand, and easier to use. There are countless software applications available today which allow one to perform a wide range of tasks with a personal computer, regardless of one's extent of computer programming knowledge.
Each software application, for example word processing software, accounting software, media player software, games, etc., is essentially a tool, which allows the user to perform a task. Most applications have an application programming interface, or API, which instructs the operating system of the computer how to operate the program. In most operating systems, a graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to navigate between and around in the separate applications on a “desktop.” Each application has a presence on the desktop, for example an icon. Each application must be turned on, or “launched” as it is needed during the user experience. One way of launching an application from the desktop is by using a mouse to position a floating cursor over the icon and clicking on the icon. Another possibility is to use the GUI to find the application on the hard drive and launch it from there. Each application is separate and distinct from the others. The launching or closing of one application typically does not launch or close another application, unless the operating system is specifically instructed to do so, which requires programming expertise on the part of the user.
One common software application is an internet browser. The API for the internet browser instructs the computer how to make contact with and interact with the internet. The internet, too has become increasingly user friendly. There are currently many “web portals” available to the public. A web portal is a web site which typically has several preset links, organized by category, to many areas of interest. Once the user registers or activates the portal, she can begin to customize the portal to reflect her personal tastes and needs. The web portal is a means of making the world wide web less intimidating to the beginning user. The beginning user can “surf” through the portal's suggested links without being overwhelmed by the endless choices available to her on the internet. As for the advanced user, it is a way of making her time on the internet more efficient. She can tailor a portal to her specific needs. For example, she can log on the internet, check her stocks, read the news, find out about a sale at a favorite shop, how her favorite team fared the previous night, and see the local weather, all from one page, her portal. Otherwise, the user would have had to go to several separate web sites to gather all of these different pieces of information.
One limitation of web portals is that they do not extend beyond the internet. Other GUIs are designed to access and manage local content only. The high number of available software applications is growing, and thus the number of functions for which the personal computer user employs her computer is also growing. As more and more icons take their place on the desktop, the user environment becomes more and more chaotic. Also the number of products, services and information available to users through the internet is growing and will continue to grow. The burdens of software and internet savvy have grown heavy for the average user and overwhelming for the beginning user. The user experience lacks a common ground interface through which the user can efficiently access and organize local as well as online content.